Valve for pneumatically-operated devices.



PATENTED APR. 24, 1906.

J. J. HEALY. VALVE FOR PNEUMATIOALLY OPERATED DEVICES.

APPLIOATION FILED 00117, 1904.

" I Atmrne UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN J. HEALY, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO SOLOMON F. HESS, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

VALVE FOR PNEUMATlOALLY-OPERATED DEVICES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 24, 1906.

Original application filed December 26, 1902, Serial No. 136,530. Divided and this application filed. October 1'7, 1904.

Serial No. 228,690.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN J. HEALY, of the city of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Valves for Pneumatically-Operated Devices; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to the reference-numeralsmarked thereon.

My present invention relates to valves for pneumatically operated musical instruments; and it has for its object to provide an improved form of primary or puppet valve, together with improved means for supporting it, which is also applicable to other forms of valves, whereby they are permitted to operate freely into and out of engagement with their seats and will be centered accurately thereon when in the closed position.

To these and other ends my invention consists in certain improvements and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

This is a division of an ap lication previ ously filed by me on the 26th of December, 1902, bearing Serial No. 136,530.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of the tracker-board and the related parts of a pneumatically-operated piano-player, showing the application and operation of valves constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of a valve support or casing, illustrating the manner of mounting the valve; and Fig. 3 is a top plan view of a valve-support, showing the method of mounting one or more valves.

Similar reference-numerals in the several figures indicate similar parts.

In illustrating a primary or puppet valve embodying my invention I have shown diagrammatically those parts of a pneumatically-operated musical instrument which will facilitate an understanding of its construction and the function which it is designed to perform.

The view shown in Fig. 1 includes a tracker-board 1, provided with apertures 2, adapted to be opened by perforations in a music-sheet and connected by a passage 3, opening beneath a puff or diaphragm 4, located in a wind-chest 5. ed from the latter through a wind-trunk 6, connected to suitable bellows, (not shown,) and in the cover or top 7 of the wind-chest are apertures 01' perforations 8, one arranged above each of the diaphragms 4, with which communicate passages 9, each opening at their outer ends beneath a puff or diaphragm 10 of a. secondary valve. The latter is provided with a head 11, located in a recess 15 at the end of a passage 16, communicating with a key pneumatic or bellows 17, said head being mounted on a stem 18 and cooperating alternately with an aperture 19 to close it against the entrance of air under atmospheric pressure to the passage 16 and a similar aperture 20, opening into awind-chest 21. As the air is exhausted from the latter the valve-head 10 will normally be held in the position shown in Fig. 1, closing the aperture 20 and opening the one 19 topermit the bellows 17 to remain in its open position, as shown.

The primary valve, which controls the operation of the secondary valve, consists of outer and inner heads 22 and 23, cooperating with the seats surrounding the ends of the perforation 8 and separated by a stem 24,

which is slightly longer than the thickness of the cover and passes through the perforations 8 therein, said heads being adapted to close the inner and outer ends, respectively, of said perforations and alternately open the passage 9 to the atmosphere or to the attenuated air in the wind-chest 5. The partial vacuum formed in the wind-chest will assist to move the valve downwardly into its normal position closing the outer end of the perforation and opening the passage 9, so that the air will be exhausted therefrom to retract the puff 10 into its normal collapsed position. In order to prevent restricting the area of the perforations 8, the stem 24 is flattened and formed of such width that it is guided freely between the sides of the aperture in the valve-support, the free circulation of the air therethrough being facilitated by providing the stem with perforations 25. The stem 24 and heads 22 and 23 may be rigidly conneoted; but in the practical construction of 10 5 the valve it is unnecessary to connect the The air is exhaust parts, as the stem is prevented from accidental displacement by the heads. The latter are yieldingly held by means of flexible supports 26, and for this purpose I preferably employ thin strips of leather or membrane, such as gold-beaters skin, which 1s both light in weight and very strong, said str ps being supported at their ends and extending over the top of the valve-heads 22 and 23, which they are attached by means of glue or cement.

Inasmuch as there are usually a comparatively large number of valves located in proximity to each other and as they are also arranged in rows, those in each row may be supported upon a single strip 26, as shown in Fig. 3. To hold these strips in alinement and also to permit their free movement, I provide transversely extending bindingstrips 27. The supports for the outer ends of the valves are attached to frame-pieces 28, while those for the inner heads are connected to similar frame-pieces 29, a construction which permits the detachment of the cover or top of the wind-chest without disturbing the valves. This method of mounting a valve may be employed with equal success in other places, and in Fig. 1 I have shown the opposite ends of the stem 18 of the secondary valve attached to supporting-strips 30, the ends of which are connected to adjacent stationary portions of the mechanism.

The valve, with its complement of seats constructedin accordance with my invention, provides a simple and eilective means for venting a passage to alternately connect it with the atmosphere or with a wind-chest.

The method of securing the valve by em ploying flexible supporting-strips is simple and effective, because the strips obviate the use of rigid guides, and as they are unaffected by changes in temperature there is no possibility of the valves being prevented from operatingfreely when the heads 22 are engaged by their pufls or diaphragms 4 or other actuating devices.

I claim as my invention 1.. In a musical instrument, the combination with a board or support having an airpassage therein, of a valve-head closing the passage a frame-piece located at each side of the valve-head and a flexible connection engaging the head and secured to said frame pieces.

2. In a musical instrument, the combination with a board or support provided with an aperture and having an air-passage communicating therewith, of a valve embodying a stem and heads adapted to alternately engage opposite sides of the board and flexible connections secured to the heads and attached to the board at opposite sides thereof.

3. In a musical instrument, the combination with a board or support having an aperture and provided with an air-passage communicating therewith, of a valve embodying a stem arranged in the aperture in the board, said stem being flattened and having the edges engaging the sides of the aperture, heads cooperating with the stem adapted to alternately engage opposite sides of the board and means connected to the heads for centering the valve.

4. In a wind instrument, the combination with a board having an aperture and provided with an air-passage connected thereto, of a valve embodying a stem arranged in. the aperture, said stem being flattened and provided with apertures and having the edges engaging the sides of the aperture, heads on the stem adapted to alternately engage oppo site sides of the board and flexible connection attached to the heads and connected to the board at opposite sides of the valve.

5. In a wind instrument, the combination with a board having a plurality of air-passages therein, of a valve for each passage, said valves being arranged in a row and a flexible guiding connection attached to the several valves to center them.

6. In a wind instrument, the combination with a board having a plurality of air-passages therein, of a valve for each passage said valves being arranged in a row, a flexible connection attached to the several valves to center them and connected to the board beyond the valves at each end of the row and flexible binding-pieces extending transversely of the said row and connected to the valve-supporting strip.

JOHN J. HEALY.

WV-itnesses:

G. VVILLARD Rion, WILLIAM J. l\/IALONEY. 

